AG Knudsen asks Montana Legislature for more resources to address public safety needs

HELENA — On Wednesday, Montana Lawyer Normal Austin Knudsen mentioned – regardless of being a fiscal conservative – he’s asking the Montana Legislature for a major finances enhance, as a result of his division wants extra assets to maintain up with public security wants.

Knudsen opened the Montana Division of Justice’s presentation to a joint legislative finances subcommittee.

“Merely put, we can not preserve policing in Montana prefer it’s nonetheless 1995,” he advised lawmakers.

The state’s government department has known as for an enormous funding within the public security finances for the following two years. DOJ is proposing a $299 million finances for the 2024-2025 biennium – a rise of $38 million, or 14%, from the final appropriation.

Knudsen mentioned his division and different regulation enforcement businesses within the state are doing good work, however they’re underneath pressure.

“Our inhabitants is rising, drug crime is rising, violent crime is quickly rising in Montana, and it’s time we acknowledge that,” he advised MTN Wednesday. “We merely want some extra assets.”

A lot of the brand new funding would pay for extra workers. Knudsen is requesting quite a lot of new investigators for DOJ’s Division of Legal Investigation – together with 4 to answer human trafficking instances, three to handle the rise in drug instances, and three main crimes investigators who help native regulation enforcement on severe incidents.

The finances proposal would additionally assist 5 new Montana Freeway Patrol troopers, together with a 6% wage enhance for present troopers.

Knudsen mentioned he presently has solely two investigators devoted to human trafficking instances, however the variety of investigations has skyrocketed lately. He mentioned the division can be underneath stress from the rising variety of drug instances, with meth and fentanyl being among the many most severe points.

“There’s completely no query we’re seeing an astronomical enhance in drug trafficking into Montana,” he mentioned. “That’s not only a operate of us policing higher and discovering extra of it.”

Knudsen’s finances request additionally consists of $5 million for upkeep prices on an up to date pc system for the Motor Automobile Division, which he says will considerably enhance wait instances for patrons. The division has already began phasing the system in, and Knudsen mentioned they’ve noticeably elevated the variety of prospects served and lowered the quantity of people that don’t present up for an appointment.

The DOJ proposal is simply a part of a broader public security push in Gov. Greg Gianforte’s finances plan. For instance, members of this finances subcommittee additionally heard testimony this week from the Montana Division of Corrections, about plans to take a position about $200 million in enhancements on the Montana State Jail.